The present invention relates to a system to facilitate monitoring of the execution time of a command sent from one remote node to a second remote node over a communication system and, more particularly, the monitoring of the execution of a command sent from one remote computer or node to a second remote computer or node over the global communication system or some other network.
A variety of known communication systems and networks are currently employed to transmit data, drawing(s), diagram(s), information, etc. from one remote site or node to a second remote site or node. A critical component which facilitates effective communication from one remote node to a second remote node is the xe2x80x9cresponse timexe2x80x9d. That is, the elapsed time from the instant when a command is sent from the first remote node to a second remote node to the instant when the transmitted data, drawing(s) diagram(s), information, etc. is received by the first remote node from the second remote node. The primary goal, in all communication systems, is to strive for the shortest elapse time from the instant when the command is sent to the second remote node to the instant when the requested data, drawing(s), diagram(s), information, etc. is received at the first remote node.
In order to keep pace with the continued improvements in technology, users of the world wide web, as well as other communication networks, are demanding shorter and shorter response times. Businesses and advertisers utilizing such communications systems and/or networks are also requiring quicker response times to facilitate improved sales, distribution, marketing, promotion, advertising, etc., of products, goods, items and/or services. With a greater focus being paid to the response time required for executing commands, website owners are increasingly paying closer attention to the time required to execute each command received by the website from a remote request node.
To assist website owners with determining the typical response time required to execute a command at a website, Keynote Systems, of San Mateo, Calif., provides a very basic monitoring service which only determines the total elapsed time from the instance the command is sent to instant the requested data, drawing(s) diagram(s), information, etc. are received. Generally, Keynote Systems will contact a desired website periodically, e.g. once every ten (10) minutes and request retrieval of the website""s home page, and then provide to the client very basic information concerning the total elapse time required to execute such command. While such total elapsed time is somewhat useful to website owners, advertisers, businesses, administrators of website, etc., the total elapsed time information does not provide any meaningful information which is useful in attempting to streamline or decrease the total elapsed time required for executing the command. That is, there is no information being provided concerning which step or steps of the executed command required a significant or substantial amount of time thereby substantially hampering efficient execution of the command. If website owners, advertisers, businesses, administrators of website, etc. were to be provided with such information, then such information could be utilized in modifying the website, or other node connected to the communication system, to facilitate decreasing the response time required to execute the received command.
Wherefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a monitoring systems which overcomes the above noted drawbacks associated with the prior art monitoring systems.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system which monitors the discrete time required to execute each desired or important step of a command and provides this time information to an administrative node to assist the administrative node with streamlining or decreasing the execution time for the command.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system which facilitates synchronization of the internal real-time clocks, at both an administrative node as well as a transaction node, to provide a common baseline for determining the total elapsed time for execution of the command as well as the discrete time required to execute each step of the command.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system with backend software which precisely detects, at the transaction node, the elapse time required to execute each important step involved in executing the command and to send the detected elapse time information to the administrative node for use in streamlining or decreasing the execution time of the command.
The present invention relates to a system for monitoring a total response time for executing a synthetic transaction over a communication system, said monitoring system comprising: a communication system for conveying information; an administrative node being coupled to the communication system and the administrative node having an internal clock; a transactional node being coupled to the communication system and the transactional node having an internal clock; means for synchronizing the internal clock of both the administrative node and the transaction node to display an identical time; means for generating and sending a synthetic transaction from the administrative node to the transaction node for execution via the communication system and recording the sending time of the synthetic transaction; means for receiving and executing, at the transaction node, the synthetic transaction sent by the administrative node while recording a time of receipt and a required time to complete each desired step of the synthetic transaction; means for transmitting a result of the synthetic transaction to the administrative node, via the communication system, along with time information indicating the time required to complete each desired step of the synthetic transaction; and means for generating the total response time required to execute the synthetic transaction.
The present invention also relates to a method for monitoring a total elapsed response time for executing a command over a communication system, the method comprising the steps of: providing a communication system for conveying information; coupling an administrative node to the communication system and providing the administrative node with an internal clock; coupling a transactional node to the communication system and providing the transactional node with an internal clock; synchronizing the internal clock of both the administrative node and the transaction node to display an identical time; generating and sending a synthetic transaction from the administrative node to the transaction node for execution via the communication system and recording the sending time of the synthetic transaction; receiving and executing, at the transaction node, the synthetic transaction sent by the administrative node while recording a time of receipt of the sent synthetic transaction and a required time to complete each desired step of the synthetic transaction; transmitting a result of the synthetic transaction to the administrative node, via the communication system, along with time information indicating the time required to complete each desired step of the synthetic transaction; and generating the total response time required to execute the synthetic transaction.